Praetors: A Twisted Destiny
by pJato431
Summary: A short story of Jason and Reyna, from their first meeting to becoming Praetors, then Jason going missing, and finally their reunion.
1. First Impressions

**Right, so I should finish my other stories, **_**The Mark of Athena Assumptions **_**and **_**Okay, A Twist in My Story**_**, but I felt a sudden urge to make a Jason/Reyna short story. The first chapter is on their meeting, Jason's partial history, and a scene. There aren't many Jason/Reyna fan-fics out there, so I wanted to write one too! I'm a Jason/Piper fan, but I'm leaning towards Jason/Reyna at the moment, so I hope you enjoy it. I don't plan on making it into long novel-long chapters, just short. More like a short version of Percy's adventures, except it's Jason's instead. Next chapter will be in Reyna's POV.**

**I don't own the Heroes of Olympus. **

First Meeting: Jason

Jason was slashing at Dakota, who was clumsily avoiding his attacks. Of course, Dakota, though he doesn't seem like it, is quite a skilled fighter. Even at 11 years old, Jason too was a fierce warrior. His intimidating tattoo, the SPQR, the eagle, and the four straight lines he has in his arm, he arrived when he was 7 and proved himself to be a worthy Roman. Being the son of Jupiter, this was expected; he was raised the by the she-wolf, Lupa, and trained to never show mercy, as this was the Roman way.

Trained to be fierce, show no weakness, be an agile warrior, he could have easily been compared to the old time Spartans, however, he was also taught to be loyal, courageous, but only to the right people, his family. And his family was in New Rome, Camp Jupiter, but yet, a part of him misses his other family, his family by blood. He vaguely recalls a girl, about 9 years old, maybe? It was his sister, Thalia. She was yelling at an older woman, presumably his mother, they were arguing; but that's all he can remember. He knew who they were, but wasn't sure what happened to them, Lupa wouldn't tell him anything else.

"Come on Jason, I. Really. Got. To. Go. Back. To. My. Kool. Aid!" he said each word while trying to parry and avoid each strike from Jason. If that's what he wanted, fine, he'll get it.

When Dakota went in for the stab, Jason side-stepped and elbowed down Dakota's arm, but he didn't stop there. After the initial shock(and pain), Dakota tried to recover, but he was too late. Jason went and grab Dakota's arm and twisted it, placing it on his back.

"Ahh! Okay, okay, stop, stop! You're going to break my arm!" Dakota started pleading, for other people, this would seem cruel, but here in New Rome, people just walked by doing nothing to stop them. After a while, Jason let go and wiped the sweat off his forehead and grinned. The teen just grumbled and took a swig off his flask.

"Looks like I win again, Dakota." Jason said cheekily, grinning.

"Well, I was rushing, so, it doesn't count." He replied, taking another swig, Jason rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say."

Dakota ruffled Jason's hair and they both walked to the bath house. The bath house was probably the best part in all of New Rome, of course, there were two separate bath houses, one for the females and the other for the males. It was like the Japanese onsen, but even better.

Walking into the pool, the boys let out a sigh of relief. Dakota leaned back against the edge, while Jason just floated, staring up at the sky.

"Dakota, don't you think it's time that the Fifth Cohort get back it's rightful place?"

"Don't know, kid. Ever since the last Praetor, Varus, lost the Eagle, we've been mocked." Dakota sighed, taking another swig, his lips were ridiculously red that someone might mistake it for lip sticks.

"Yeah, but I'm sick of them looking at us like that when we didn't even do anything." Jason complained, thinking back to the looks they were giving his cohort. Even though they showed respect to him, he didn't like the way people stared at the Fifth Cohort, in which his friends were in.

"Illegitimi non carborundum." That was all Dakota could say, not caring if Jason was a kid, Romans were used to cursing in Latin sometimes.

"I know I can't do it alone, so one day, I'll team up with someone to change that. Just not Octavian, I still hate him." Jason said it with pride, but the last part with disdain.

"Hey, you're not the only one. I can't believe that some of the other cohorts have to rely and actually support him. The Lares, not so surprised, they still go after the old ways."

"Yeah, they'll see." Jason promised.

After they were done, they changed into a fresh pair of the standard purple shirt, pants, and their shoes. They went their separate ways, Dakota off to flirt with Gwen, and Jason to go back to his bunk and take a nap. Today didn't seem to spectacular, the last four years have been good on him, prior to that, he was confused. Often he would ask Lupa of his heritage and she would just reply that he was the son of Jupiter. This would frustrate him as he wanted to know his other family, but never questioned her again. Then one day, Lupa told him his familial background. He dreamt about it as soon as his head hit the pillow.

_"Jupiter sired you in order to please Juno, because as you know, she did not like your father's affair with other women, and she especially despised his half-blood children." She explained, Jason knew of that already, even if it did make him feel uncomfortable._

_"And my father named me Jason, after the original Greek Jason." He said, only 6 at the time, not completely innocent, but still so young._

_"Yes pup, but what you do not know is that Juno is your patron. Unlike all of Jupiter's other children, she favored you and thought you as her own son, much like I think of you as my own son." Lupa explained, though it doesn't easily show, he could tell that Lupa was smiling._

_"Really? I...don't know what to say, except that I am honored." Jason said, without a hesitation, but was heavily unsure of what to think of it._

_"Do not lie, child. I know you are confused, but it is an honor, do not forget." She growled, nudging Jason forward to the Wolf House as it was getting late._

_"Yes, Lupa." he replied, confusion still etched on his face._

_"Before we go in, I'll tell you something about your other...family." This got Jason on full attention. He didn't say a word, but nodded his head to go on. "You have a sister, her name is Thalia Grace, she comes from an...older background."_

_"Older background? What do you mean, Lupa?" Jason was puzzled, he was still six anyways._

_"I'm afraid it's beyond my power to say it, it's forbidden to talk about it." Lupa's expression grew cold, Jason didn't press on about her sister. "But all I can say is that she is your full-blooded sister. I am already pushing the rules Jason, do not ever talk about your sister."_

_"Yes, Lupa." He promised, feeling a sense of duty._

_"And as for your mother, I'm afraid I do not know much about her. Both Jupiter and Juno refuses to speak about her."_

_"That's all right, at least I know something about them." Jason felt a little disappointed, but at least he knew he had a sister, an actual sister. Whether she's alive or not, he doesn't know._

_"Come now, pup, it's time to go in. Your birthday is tomorrow, and the next day after, it's time for you to make your journey and meet your new, permanent family." _

Jason woke up, it was around noon time, he got up into a sitting position slowly. He rubbed his eyes and looked around him. The bunks were deserted and he was left alone, he could hear a commotion going on outside, near the gates. He got up and stretched, put on his shoes, and jogged to the gates.

By the time he got there, people were already leaving, muttering about a new demigod. He felt a little disappointed that it wasn't something huge, but he wanted to meet this new recruit and see if he or she would be worthy to join this camp. The Gate came into his view and he could see the two Praetors talking to someone. They were blocking his view, so he walked up to get a better look.

The new recruit was a girl, somewhere around his age, a little shorter than him, dark hair, and a fierce gleam on her eyes. Like every new demigod that came in, she looked tired, grimy, and seemed like she wanted more than anything but to take a shower and hit the bed. One of the Praetors, Jack, turned and saw me, he waved me over.

"Jason! Good timing, I need you to show our new member around the City." He gestured towards the girl, who still held a fierce expression on her face. He took me away from her and the other Praetor, Sophia, who was explaining how Camp Jupiter and New Rome worked. He looked around to make sure no one was listening, then back at the two girls, he smiled and waved at them, and then back to him.

"Listen, I need you to be careful. She doesn't talk much, all we could get out of her was that she's a daughter of Bellona, probably the third most important God here, even if she is a minor Goddess. Her name's also Reyna, she's a year older than you, although it doesn't seem like it. Even though she won't say much, I have a feeling she's had it a little rougher than some of the other Demigods here. So be careful, okay Jason?" He explained to him, with a serious expression, he nodded his head dutifully. We walked back to them and the girl still refused to relax, Sophia gave a look that says 'She's a stubborn one.'

"Okay Reyna, Jason here will give you a tour around, he's the only one right now in our legion that is about your age. Jack and I have our duties to do, so we'll leave the introductions to him." They both left us, but they seemed to be pretty close when they were walking, he could have sworn that they were holding hands, he just shook it off and turned back Reyna.

"Hi, as you already know, my name's Jason Grace. I'm in the Fifth Cohort, been here for four years, and the son of Jupiter. So, I guess I'll show you around." He held out his hand for her to shake, but she just stared at him, with a look that he think was disgust. He pulled it back awkwardly and ignored it, there was silence between the two until finally, the girl spoke.

"Well, are you going to show me around or are you going to stand there like an idiot?" she asked, finally changing her expression into one of annoyance.

"Right, the tour. Well, if you can follow me, I'll show you." He started walking forward, but turned his head back to see if she was following. She just rolled her eyes and started walking too. He showed her all of the Cohorts Barracks, the Principia, the Mess hall(in which Reyna seemed a little relieved that they would lay down while eating too), and the Baths. Reyna looked really tempted to jump in the baths, but she didn't say anything, he just grinned.

"You won't feel paradise until you've been in a Roman bath." He jokingly said, even though it was true.

She just gave him a look, but didn't say anything, which was starting to get in Jason's nerve. He wishes that the girl would say something, do something, she doesn't seem to have a personality. And the first thing she said to him wasn't particularly nice, unlike the other demigods, she was bold at first meeting and actually seemed like she saw a Camp like this already.

When they passed the Praetorian gate, the first thing she noticed was the temples across the half-mile journey to New Rome. Jason answered her questioning look.

"That's the Temple Hill, we're actually going there next."

When they got there, she was immediately drawn to the temple that had a statue of a Goddess wearing Roman armor. She was marveling at the sight, and Jason couldn't blame her, he felt the same when he saw his own father's temple.

"That's Lady Bellona, your mother. She's one of the most important Goddess here in Camp Jupiter and in New Rome. Besides my father and Mars, she's also the most respected Goddess as well. So as you can see, you're pretty important too." He explained, carefully choosing his words.

"My mother, yes, if it wasn't for her..."Her voice trailed off and Jason couldn't help but wondered what her story was. Well, at least she said something again. Jason made it his own personal mission to make her talk before the tour is over.

"Hey, we're all family here so whatever your story is, we can all relate." He said, she looked back at him with a long hard stare.

"You have no idea what I've went through, and I don't plan on telling anytime soon, especially to someone like you." She snapped. That was strike two for Jason, she was testing his temper now, thankfully, he was a son of Jupiter, not Neptune. The air suddenly filled with the smell of ozone, Jason realized he was letting part of his anger loose and held it back down.

Pretending that their small dispute didn't happen, he continued on to their final destination. It was New Rome, standing all in her glory with the Aqueduct standing on one end of the city. People were bustling around the street, the markets were open and selling, college-age kids were talking to one another, they all had on jackets that said Berkeley University or the mascot. Some people were flirting with one another, the fauns were trying to bother some Campers who kept trying to walk away, and a couple was watching their son and daughter bicker over a toy gladius, the Lares walking around talking in Latin. Yep, a pretty normal day in New Rome.

Jason turned to Reyna, she was taking in the sight with wonder, but most of all, she was surprised by the amount of the people living in here. He didn't want to feel like a creep, but he couldn't help but noticed that her eyes grew considerably softer. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Right, so there's the Coliseum, yes, an exact copy, but a little smaller." He pointed over to where the stadium was. "Then there's the Circus Maximus, and no, it's not a Circus with clowns, it's more like a racing track. And right we are is the Forum, over there is the Senate House, where all of our Senators, Centurions, Lares, and of course, the Praetors, have their meetings."

She looked around, letting the sight of all of this in.

"Well, that pretty much sums up the end of the tour. Of course, you need to do 10 years of service, and then you can retire and live out a normal life here. It's pretty much the only safe place for people like us." He wrapped up the tour, sitting down on one of the marbled benches. She sat down on the opposite end, resting her head against the pillar next to the bench.

"You look tired, you should hit the baths and then maybe take a nap. I'm not sure which Cohort you're in-"

"They placed me in the First Cohort." She interrupted him, closing her eyes.

"Well, then, that's where you'll be sleeping in for the next 10 years."

Things suddenly got quiet again and it took me a while to realize that Reyna fell asleep as she was starting to droop forward. I got up and shook her awake, first mistake. She immediately pinned me down holding a knife under my chin, my first instinct was to flip us over, but I pushed it down as it would look awkward. Some people were staring, but they just continued walking.

She cursed something in another language, I think it was Ancient Greek, weird, not a lot of people speak Ancient Greek here, just Latin. She put the knife back in her sheath and didn't even bother to apologize.

"Oh yeah, thanks for the apology." Jason said sarcastically, getting himself up.

"Just be lucky I didn't gut you open right there, boy." She spatted out boy as if it was a bad thing. Although that made him questioned even more where she came from, that was the last straw for Jason.

"Just what is your problem?" He snapped, a little electricity sparked in the air.

"Problem? I just went through something that no one can understand, not even you, Grace. Ugh, boys, they think they can do everything and suffered the worst labors." She retorted, disgust and venom evident in her voice.

"What? We do not and I bet it's just the typical monsters story, everyone's been through it!" Jason immediately regretted what he said, Reyna's eyes seemed to have gotten watery, but she blinked them away and her face grew hard and angry again.

"You don't know anything!" She screamed at his face, there was a crowd forming around them now, and Jason did not like that one bit at all. "Don't ever speak to me again."

She turned around and walked back to the Camp, people getting out of her way with nervous looks. Jason was left dumb-founded and regretful. Dakota clapped his back with some sympathy.

"Dude, don't worry. She's just a new Camper, we've had worse."

"Yeah, but I don't think I'll be talking to her for a long time again." Jason walked away, the crowd already dispersed. His shoulders were slumped, he hasn't felt this way in a long time. The first being when he accidentally knocked down some pillars that were meant to replaced some battle damaged fort and the Praetors gave him a scolding.

Reyna kept to her word, somewhat. They would usually run into each other, but Reyna would always turn back before Jason could even properly apologize or talk to her. It wasn't until the war, that they were both forced to talk to each other, as they were leading Centurions by the time it got started. Their next encounter would be before a quest to slay the Trojan Sea monster, which was two years after their first meeting. By then, Jason already went through some quests, three to be exact and they weren't really hard, but like Reyna, he refused to talk about one of them. This quest will bring them closer than ever and leaving Reyna rendered confused.


	2. The Trojan Sea Monster

"_**It's common for them to be romantically involved." **_**Now, that does sound like a forced relationship, but I think Jason and Reyna had some history before that. And for some people worried about spelling Gladius, don't be too worried about it, that's just how the word is actually spelled. Well, I'll admit, I think Jason and Piper would go well together, but I don't think that would be fair because if it's true that Reyna is the roman equivalent of Annabeth, then well, I'll feel like I'm abandoning Percabeth. I know they're different people, but they have similar traits. I haven't forgotten that Jason went to Aeolus demanding information for the Trojan Sea Monster, but I don't think the experience would have been too friendly, so that's why his name is mentioned here…..you'll see.**

Reyna and Jason: Trojan Sea Monster

Times were getting tougher and tougher with each passing battle that happened, the Camp had already suffered and lost many casualties during the last two battles. One in where several monsters suddenly appeared inside their borders and another where it wasn't just monsters, but also a small army of their own demigods against them. Krios and Kronos were both twisting their minds, they refused to use their Roman names.

It was winter, Reyna was in her bunk, preparing herself for her new mission. It annoyed her to no ends that Octavian suggested that Jason Grace be the leader of the quest, but she didn't start an argument, they were already at war. After packing her bag, bringing only the necessaries, she made sure her armor was well hidden under her jacket, she sheathed her Gladius, and looked up with a determination raging in her eyes. She walked out of the barracks and headed towards the Senate House. She hid her bag under her bed, sure, she was preparing early, but they leave at noon, and it was now morning.

Along the way, she was reminiscing her time here in Camp Jupiter and New Rome. After the particularly nasty dispute with Grace, she was left bitter and alone for a while. Finally, someone brave came up to her and set her straight, it was surprisingly Gwen, from the Fifth Cohort. Slowly, the two girls became close friends and she started opening up herself to others until she completely let go of what she learned in Circe's island.

For a time, Reyna couldn't bring herself to forget about Hylla and their department, but it was for the best in the end. She thought back to the nasty memory.

"_Reyna, I'm telling you! The Amazons are the only way we can continue on surviving!" Hylla tried to reason with her younger sister, barely controlling the rage in her voice._

_"But I don't want to! There's a Camp, somewhere near Berkeley, I don't know how, but something's telling me that it's safer over there!" She yelled back, tears flowing down. For someone so small and only 12 years old, her voice was really strong._

_"Reyna, you don't know what they could be doing in that Camp! For all we know, the women can be slaves there!" Her older sister, too, was now shouting._

_"Hylla! Growing up in Circe's island is getting into your head, you've completely forgotten about Dad!" _

_That struck a nerve in Hylla and she slapped Reyna in the face. They were both so shocked by the action that they froze and Hylla's face changed into one of guilt._

_"Reyna, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..." Her voice trailed off when she noticed that Reyna just shook her head and turned away._

_"It's clear that we can't agree on something. You want to do things the old way, I want to try something new and actually live on Dad's memory. Hylla, go on and do what you want, but I'm going on my own." Reyna calmly said, her voice so stoic and emotionless, Hylla just dropped her head._

_"I see, if that's what you want. I think it's for the best if we do part our own ways. Good-bye, Reyna." And with that, Hylla turned her back as well and started her own journey alone._

_Reyna also started, but not without tears in her eyes. _

By the time that Reyna reached the Senate House, she didn't realized that a single tear fell of her face. She wiped it off furiously, took a deep breath, and walked in.

The Senate House was chaotic, the Lares were furiously slashing at each other, the Senators were arguing, Octavian was actually attempting to calm it down, while Jason and Dakota just stood there like idiots doing nothing. Sophia wasn't here yet, but Reyna couldn't blame her completely. The Camp recently lost Jack, the other Praetor, and both he and Sophia were engaged, even at the age 21, everyone felt happy for them. They had their life full ahead of them, they just got their Masters, and to make the final blow, Sophia was actually carrying Jack's child. So young, but hard times like these actually brings everyone closer.

"Hey! Stop your pointless fighting and let's get down to business!" Her voice resonated throughout the whole hall and surprisingly, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Reyna.

And by coincidental timing, Sophia just walked in, with her purple cape flowing behind her, looking clean, organized, radiating leadership, but her eyes pretty much shows what's going on. The stress was testing her limits, bags under her eyes, and her belly slightly protruding. The Lares dropped their weapons and fixed themselves, the Senators sat down grumbling, and Reyna took her own place next to Jason and Dakota, in which they were trying to look at anywhere besides Reyna.

"Thank you, Reyna, for stopping everyone's foolishness around here." Sophia eyed everyone in the room and they all turned their heads away to avoid her gaze. "And yes, we have some matters to attend to."

Sophia sat down and stared at everyone for a while before sighing and getting started.

"As you know, the Trojan Sea Monster has been causing a lot of trouble on the shore-lines, both for the mortals and us. We sent a team to see if this was true." She paused, her expression pained, but she hesitantly pushed it down. "From what we got out of Lance, who's still recovering from his trauma, it has been confirmed that it is the actual Trojan Sea Monster. The monster must be slain while it is still in its weakest form." Sophia turned to Jason, Reyna, and Dakota. "Do you three accept the quest to slay the Trojan Sea Monster? Not just to protect Camp Jupiter and New Rome, but to protect the world from its monstrosity?"

"I accept." The three of them all said it at the same time, looking up with determination blazing on their eyes. Over the two years that Reyna has stayed here, she has became fiercely protective of the Camp and vowed never to let anything destroy her home, just like the last one. If she ever runs across Percy Jackson again, she'll skewer him with a _pilum_, the other girl Annabeth, she's not so sure about, she's only seen her once but that was it.

"You'll have to travel on ground, we are limited right now in other means of traveling. You must reach the Gulf of Mexico before it gets worse and you will be given an extra cross-bow for a weapon, you already have your own weapons, but this cross-bow is really important." She motioned her towards a Vulcan camper holding a medium sized cross-bow, the arrows were pure gold, Imperial Gold. "The Augur said that the final blow will be made by an arrow, so it is a best idea to use this and not test fate."

Everyone was murmuring, but they all seemed to agree that it was their only choice. Just as the meeting was about to come to an end, Octavian stood up, the scrawny teenager holding a stuffed teddy bear, Reyna felt a chill go up her spine.

"Praetor, if I may, before we end this meeting. Don't we have another matter to attend to?" Octavian asked, his voice sounding calm, loyal, but at the same time cunning. Sophia knew what he was talking about and a flash of hurt went through her face.

"In the next meeting, for now, our main focus is the Trojan Sea Monster." Sophia kept her head held up high and was eyeing everyone, the message was clear, don't listen to Octavian. Fortunately, Sophia was a daughter of Apollo, so she knows every move that Octavian will make and carefully plans it out, despite the stress. Unfortunately, some of the Lares were muttering and nodding their heads in agreement with Sophia.

"It's true! With Jack gone, we only have one Praetor, who will be our next?" A Lar questioned and Octavian was smirking.

"It is not yet June, but there will be votes held until then. However, if a soldier does somehow manages to prove himself, or herself, worthy of being Praetor, then, he or she will be the new Praetor." Sophia said this with a stoic expression, her eyes steely. Octavian's smirk faltered just a little, but he nodded his head in respect. With one last firm look on everyone, she nodded her head. "Well then, this meeting is adjourned."

Everyone was leaving and Reyna herself was about to leave, but not before Sophia stopped her.

"Reyna, come to my house, I need to discuss some things with you….privately." She looked around to make sure no one was listening, sure enough, Octavian was standing at the front door, waving his hand at passing people, but no doubt he was trying to listen to what they were saying. Reyna just nodded her head understandingly and went her own way, finding a different route to Sophia's house. It would take a considerate amount of time, but it was just in case people would follow her, especially anyone who works for Octavian.

She made sure that she was the last one out the _Pomerian_ Line, ignoring Terminus's rant about respect and such. She made it into her Cohort barracks first, checking to see if her bag was still there, sure enough it was, she then removed her armor, it was still only 10 in the morning, but the meeting actually took an hour. And she finally made her way towards the Praetor's house, she looked at the other, now empty, house in sadness, but it was no time for sympathies. Reyna knocked the door and anxiously waited for Sophia to answer it, the door opened and Reyna was suddenly pulled in, surprised and let out a small yelp.

"Shh, don't make too much noise." Sophia said in a hushed tone, while closing her door.

"I'm sorry, it's just, you took me by surprise." Reyna apologized, while rubbing the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry for that, but I had to. Do you know why I called you here?" Sophia asked, pacing back and forth, her cape gone, but she still looked intimidating. Reyna shook her head, still very confused at the whole situation. After a good five minutes, Sophia finally sat down on one of the chairs, letting her stature down, she sighed and rubbed her head temples. "Reyna, I'm going to appoint you to be Praetor as soon as your quest is done. I cannot keep doing this alone and this is a perfect chance, the Trojan Sea Monster is probably our second biggest threat besides the Titans. And…" Her voice choked up, eyes a little watery. "…I can't afford to put another male as the Praetor, I just can't. After I heard that Jack died, things have been hard. He was so ecstatic when I told him that we were gonna have a kid and he'd just proposed to me the week before. I spent enough crying already that I can't cry anymore. This is what Jack would've wanted, we both knew that Octavian was power-hungry. So Reyna, are you willing to take the position?"

"Yes." Reyna didn't need to say another word, she felt sympathy towards her superior, rather, her future equal. She wasn't sure what to do, after all, Romans learned not to mourn for too long during a war, Duty first, emotions later. Sophia looked down and touched the small bulge in her stomach and smiled slightly, despite all of the things that has happened, she manages to smile. Reyna admired her strength and her leadership, but she was afraid for Sophia's mental capacity, it was barely held together. It shows in her eyes, the desperation between breaking down and saving the Camp; with a baby along the way, her fiancé dead who was also the other Praetor, the burden of leading the Camp, it was all too much for a person to handle, let alone a pregnant one.

Reyna left the house, leaving Sophia to have some time to herself, it was one hour till noon, so she had to get ready. Along the way, she bumped into someone, that someone being Jason Grace; normally, she would've scowled and kept on walking, but after witnessing Sophia's confession, she just stared at him, naturally he stared back and started talking.

"Hey, now that I, um, got your attention without you running off. Er, can I talk to you for a moment? _In private_?" He asked nervously, looking around to make sure no one was looking. This was the second person today who wanted to talk privately, and honestly, after the first private talk, she doesn't think she wants another one.

"We'll talk about it on the way to Mexico." The words came out with no emotion and Reyna turned, but apparently, Jason had other plans. He grabbed her arm and dragged her behind his Cohort Barracks, obviously, he didn't seem fazed by Reyna's complaints all the way there, he had a strong grip and he was shocking her a little on purpose.

"What is it, Grace? It's an hour before we depart!" She demanded, her hands on her hips, glaring at him, now back to herself.

"Listen! Can't you just hear me out for once?" He replied back, somewhat pleading. She sighed and motioned her hand to go on, she didn't feel like getting into a useless argument anyways.

"Fine, go ahead."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said two years ago, I tried to apologize, but every time I get near you, you'd just run away." Reyna was actually surprised by this, after their little confrontation, she assumed that Jason was too full of himself and just acted modest, but now that he was being sincere? _Snap out of it, don't fall for it just yet_. She contemplated this for a while and she finally came to a final decision.

"You really hurt me that day, however, I'll think about it for now. I suppose I have to stop giving you the cold shoulder if we're going to work together." She turned the other way not wanting to see his reaction, but she caught a grin on his face.

SENATUSPOPULUQUEROMANUS~SENATUSPOPULUSQUEROMANUS~SENATUSPOPULUSQUEROMANUS~SENATUSPOPULUQUEROMANUS

Things were not looking good for Reyna, Dakota and Jason. It's been a week now and they're getting closer, but not without problems. Their first problem was encountered at a gas station and of course, Jason just had to throw his lance at one of the gas pumps, luckily, we were at a safe distance, but the surroundings, not so much. No one was around since it was late at night, but that probably left the cash register wondering. Their second encounter, they'd rather not talk about it. After that, random monsters popped out, nothing they couldn't handle. But their most recent encounter left Reyna alone with an unconscious Jason and Dakota looking for some medical supplies. They were inside a cave and it was a blizzard outside, no way Dakota can come back now, Reyna sighed and kept on picking on the woods to keep the fire going. Jason started stirring and Reyna immediately went to his side with some water and a granola bar.

"R-Reyna, what happened?" His voice was hoarse, just a whisper, and she could tell that he was still very weak. She propped him up to a sitting position against the wall, she had tip Jason's head back so he could swallow the water.

"Well, you summoned up a large amount of lightning and you passed out. We were getting cornered, and one of them was about to stab me from behind." She told the full story in how they were going to cross the mountains on foot, but then an army of monsters appeared, and they were quickly getting cornered, Dakota was separated from them and he summoned up an unusual amount of lightning. What she didn't tell him though was that while she didn't know about the monster behind her, he screamed out her name and all of a sudden all the monsters turned to dust. Reyna heard him and Dakota had to explain to her, Dakota actually saw what happened, but he just couldn't believe it.

"I remember it now, not everything, some parts are still fuzzy." He groaned and rested his head against the cave wall.

"I wouldn't worry too much, here, eat this, regain your strength. Dakota will probably come back in the morning, we need to heal that gash on your forehead before an infection spreads." She didn't look at Jason, while she was explaining this, not once. The hurt was clear in his face, and she felt guilty, but her prides been wounded.

"Reyna, I really meant what I said last week, I'm sorry. I know what I said was unjustified, but I was angry, I didn't know how to properly control my anger. And if I did anything else besides that, I'm sorry." This time, Reyna believed him and she faced him, then sighed.

"No Jason, I'm sorry. It's just…."She faltered, never telling except the Praetors on exactly how she arrived there. "I grew up in an island with my sister, under a sorceress named Circe. They had a Spa resort there, but it wasn't your typical Spa Resort. If any male came nearby, they would trick him, turning him into a guinea pig."

"A guinea pig?" Jason questioned, she just smiled, and she could see the surprise in Jason's eyes. "And wait, when you say sister, you mean a full-blooded sister?"

"Yes, Circe thought it was what they are. And Hylla? Yes, she's my full-blooded sister. Last I heard from her, she's rising up the ranks in the Amazons. I wouldn't be surprised if she became queen."

Jason chuckled. "That'd be scary, if she's anything like you, I'd stay away." The corners of her lips turned up slightly, it was getting easier and easier to talk to him.

"She'd probably skin you alive. Right, going back to Circe's Island. I was a Spa attendant over there, so was my sister, but she held a position a little higher over. We were given a home there, but I wasn't happy, giving manicures and treating other people every day? It just wasn't my thing, Hylla on the other hand, she enjoyed her job, she was given everything, including pet leopards, of course we shared our room and benefits together since we're related, but it wasn't fair to the other attendants. I don't know what happened to them, probably dead or trying to make a living. I never liked that place, but it was something that I could call home, especially…." Her voice trailed off, and for the second time to Jason, she's never looked so much more vulnerable than she has before.

Not sure what to do, Jason rested his hand on her shoulder, it was all he could manage to do. Surprised, she looked at him, who was giving her a warm reassuring smile, she couldn't help but smile back. The moment lasted for a small moment until they realized it was getting a bit awkward. They both looked away from each other, with a slight blush on their faces.

"Right, so you said Dakota should be back here tomorrow? That's good, I think I'll go back to sleep, my head is feeling dizzy again." Jason broke the silence and his eyes closed. And even though she could tell that he was sleeping, she manages to say one last thing to him before succumbing to sleep herself, which wasn't good, but they were safe for now, after all, she did learned some magic during her time there.

"Thank you, Jason."

The next morning, Dakota came in with the supplies, he looked tired and immediately fell asleep on the floor, snoring. Reyna rolled her eyes and started fixing the gash on Jason's head, which was starting to look really bad. While she was doing this, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious of herself. Thinking back to her conversation last night, she couldn't help but feel somewhat grateful to Percy Jackson and his friend, Annabeth was it? She's found a new home, albeit, it wasn't as luxurious as Circe's Island, but, she felt more at ease over there, more like herself rather than being the perfect model. Realizing that she found a new home, she had a fierce loyalty and determination to not let this home get destroyed.

"You okay? You seem a little….tense." Jason surprised her, he was now fully awake and looking at her straight in the eyes. She just finished putting the last wrap around his forehead and sat down on the wall next to him, at the moment, she didn't really care too much for personal space.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking, about the quest and everything else." It wasn't a lie, but it was just a simple version of the truth.

"Oh. Well, wake up Dakota, we have to keep on going. Now that my head's all wrapped up, thanks to you, we have to go now. There's no more time to waste." Jason got up, with a small struggle, but he got up and shook Dakota up.

"W-what? Not yet Mother, five more minutes." He went back to sleep and this time, I woke him up and made sure he got up. "Ow! Jeez Reyna, you didn't have to hit me so hard."

The two didn't smile. "We have to keep heading east, we're about a day from there."

The three of them continued heading East, but they ran into an old junkyard where Reyna somehow worked some magic to get one of the better looking junk cars working. Dakota had a license, so he drove them, but Jason and Reyna were very wary of letting him drive. Every time they hit a bump or pot hole, they would feel paranoid about it. The car ride in Texas was very uncomfortable, with Dakota driving and Jason and Reyna not even looking at each other. Their conversation the night before kept Reyna to her thoughts and over analyzing some things.

"Reyna! Can you snap out of it? We're almost at there, just a few more miles, you got the bow ready?" She jerked her head up and realized what Jason just asked.

"Yeah, it's right here." She held up the crossbow like it was a bag of chips, it was light so that's another good thing about the bow, the weight won't affect it too much.

They continued driving until they reached the beach, the sun was already at it's highest, and it was a little warmer now. No one was in sight and there was a sign that probably said "Go back! Sea Monster Alert! You don't want to be here!" or something like that. The air was windy and all that could be heard was the ocean tides, Jason started fidgeting with his coin, Dakota kept taking swigs from his flask, and Reyna was on high alert. She scanned the area to see if there was some form of boat, there was no way that they would be able to face the monster on land. One of them has to lure it near the shores and it seemed that Jason was thinking the same.

"Guys, I see a boat there, I'm going to try to lure the monster in closer to the shore, and once you see it, we all have to attack at once." Jason was already in a bad shape, but he would not let that stop him, but Reyna thought otherwise.

"No way, Jason! In the condition you're in, you'll die!" Reyna protested, he just grinned.

"This is nothing, I'll make it back alive, just you watch." He said it with such confidence that she nearly fell for it before rationality kicked in.

"Grace! Be reasonable, you'll die, besides, we don't want to risk it here in the ocean, you're the son of Jupiter! Not Neptune!" If anything more, Jason's grin grew wider, he was really being cocky in this mission, which wasn't like him.

He began walking towards the boat, flipped it over and used his wind powers to push the boat. Reyna just threw her arms in exasperation while Dakota prepared the cross-bow, if he was that big of an idiot to lure him in, she might as well say it now.

"Jason Grace! You big idiot, I forgave you a long time ago!" She shouted it, not caring if Dakota's mouth just dropped in shock, Jason waved back, which made her more furious, but deep inside, she was really admiring him for his courageous antics.

"Wow, that was not what I saw happening in this quest." Dakota muttered and Reyna snapped her head at him, giving a glare that made him looked away.

It's been almost half an hour and Jason still wasn't back, he was actually out of their sight, which made them grew wary with each passing second. Finally, they say Jason flying back towards them, but he wasn't alone, the water appeared to be rising behind him. It wasn't a wave, it took a shape, something that made Reyna get the chills on her back. He was flailing his arms, signaling them to get everything ready.

"Dakota, hand me the bow. I think I should handle this." She demanded, there was no time, the monster was cutting in close to Jason, too close.

Dakota complied, not bothering to argue with her, he knew that she had a better aim anyways. She let out a deep breath and prepared to take aim, but the problem was, Jason was right in front of where the supposed weakness was. And if things couldn't have gotten any worse, it had, the monster finally broke through the surface of the water, it's mouth so dangerously close to the flying son of Jupiter who was desperately trying to speed things up. There was absolutely no way that he could make it, so Reyna took a risk and aimed for one of its eyes. Right on the target, the monster slowed down, not too much, but enough for Jason to escape from danger zone. He landed/crashed down next to the two of them and he was breathing hard.

"Reyna, you better take that next shot. NOW!" he gasped out, clutching his head. She didn't need to be told twice, so she fired the next two arrows one straight at the other eye, and the next at its neck, which has been proven to be fatal to monsters like this one. They had to duck the fire and thorns that it was throwing at them, Dakota nearly got burned. Reyna got struck in her arm by a thorn but it wasn't deep, and luckily, it wasn't poisonous either. The Monster was trashing around, before finally submerging itself underwater. Everything was quiet, but the three of them waited, not yet believing that it was all over. The next three minutes felt like three hours, but it seemed to be all over and they let out a sigh.

"Well, now that that's ov-" Dakota couldn't even finished the sentence, because at that moment, the monster rose up roaring. Reyna cursed, preparing to take another aim, but Jason had other plans, he flipped his coin in the air and it transformed into a lance. He was already in bad condition, but she knew what he was planning. Dakota was saying something, a prayer or some sort, but whatever he was doing, it seemed that the monster was slowing down, only a little. He was buying Jason and Reyna time to get prepare the final blow, but he was turning paler and paler with each word he says.

"On the count of three. One. Two. THREE!" Both of them took aim, this time, right at its head. Jason somehow managed to control the wind and direct his lance towards the target, it was crackling with electricity. Combined with the deadly accuracy of Reyna's aim, the monster exploded into flames due to the electricity and it turned to dust before it could go back underwater. Jason fell on his butt, clearly exhausted, but grinning, Reyna just stood there, not quite feeling satisfied, she didn't do much work slaying the Trojan Sea Monster, that's probably why. Dakota just passed out right there after using his powers for so long. She didn't know what to feel, she sure as heck didn't feel glory, Jason did more of the work than she did. If it wasn't for Aeolus's blessing, the situation would have probably gone off a lot harder than it should have been, slaying the Trojan Sea Monster was nothing compared to before their meeting with Aeolus. What really matters though, is that it was over, and Jack's demise has been avenged.

"Well come on, it's a long journey back. Let's rest up for the night." That was all Reyna said before turning her back on the sea. This whole adventure changed her, the war was changing her, and her newly found friendship with Jason, well, that just confused her. Not much is known for what's up ahead, but she knows one thing, when she gets back, she'll be made Praetor, even though Jason deserved it more than she did. She thought that Jason should be Praetor herself, but then she remembered Sophia's request. Reyna would have to tell this to Jason later, hopefully he'll understand.

The next two years would prove challenging to her, as Praetor and her growing admiration towards the boy she originally hated.


End file.
